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DeepSeek vs Kilo Code

Features, pricing, ratings, and pros and cons, side by side.

Verdict

DeepSeek is listed under AI Assistants and Kilo Code under Coding AI. DeepSeek scores higher in FinderAtlas's editorial review (8.8 vs 8.0 out of 10), led by ease of use. Both have a free plan or trial. Only DeepSeek offers an API. Only Kilo Code is available on Linux, VS Code Extension and JetBrains Plugin.

Best overall

DeepSeek

  • Software developers
  • Researchers and analysts
  • Students
  • AI engineers

Choose DeepSeek if

  • You want a tool built for Low-cost API integration.
  • Web chat and mobile apps are free.
  • API output costs from $0.60 per 1M tokens (Flash, off-peak), well below most frontier providers.

Choose Kilo Code if

  • You want a tool built for developers who want to choose their own models and providers, pay provider rates without markup, and keep an auditable open-source agent inside their existing IDE.
  • MIT-licensed and open source, with a public GitHub repository of more than 27,000 stars.
  • Access to 500+ models across 60+ providers with no stated inference markup.
Best for beginners
DeepSeek
Best for business
Kilo Code

Features

18 features compared.

  • V4 model family
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Kilo Code
    Not available
  • Thinking mode
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Kilo Code
    Not available
  • Open weights
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Kilo Code
    Not available
  • OpenAI and Anthropic compatible API
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Kilo Code
    Not available
  • Tool calls and JSON output
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Kilo Code
    Not available
  • Search and Fetch APIs
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Kilo Code
    Not available
  • Agent tool integrations
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Kilo Code
    Not available
  • DeepSeek Harness
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Kilo Code
    Not available
  • Vision on Flash
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Kilo Code
    Not available
  • Multi-Environment Agent
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Kilo Code
    Available
  • 500+ Models
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Kilo Code
    Available
  • Auto Model
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Kilo Code
    Available
  • Specialised Modes
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Kilo Code
    Available
  • MCP Support
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Kilo Code
    Available
  • Cloud Agents and Code Review
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Kilo Code
    Available
  • Parallel Agent Management
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Kilo Code
    Available
  • Mobile Companion App
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Kilo Code
    Available
  • Open Source and Transparent
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Kilo Code
    Available

Pricing

Plans as listed by each vendor. Check their sites for current prices.

  • Pricing model
    DeepSeek
    Freemium
    Kilo Code
    Freemium
  • Free plan
    DeepSeek
    Yes
    Kilo Code
    Yes
  • Starting price
    DeepSeek
    $0
    Kilo Code
    $0
  • Plans
    DeepSeek
    3 plans
    Kilo Code
    3 plans

DeepSeek plans

  • Chat and App

    Most popular

    $0

    Free access to DeepSeek models on web, iOS and Android

    • Web chat
    • iOS and Android apps
    • Thinking mode
    • Web search
    • File upload

  • API: deepseek-flash

    $0.15/1M input tokens

    Pay as you go; $0.15 cache-miss input and $0.60 output per 1M tokens off-peak, double at peak

    • 1M context
    • 384K max output
    • Vision
    • Tool calls
    • JSON output

  • API: deepseek-v4-pro

    $0.66/1M input tokens

    Pay as you go; $0.66 cache-miss input and $1.98 output per 1M tokens off-peak, double at peak

    • 1M context
    • 384K max output
    • Tool calls
    • JSON output

Kilo Code plans

  • Free & Open Source

    Most popular

    $0

    Open-source extensions for individuals, with model usage billed separately

    • VS Code
    • JetBrains and CLI extensions
    • agentic coding
    • code completion and generation
    • any AI model
    • BYOK or local models

  • Teams

    $15/user/mo

    Shared tooling and billing for engineering teams

    • Everything in Free
    • usage analytics
    • AI adoption score
    • shared custom agents
    • centralised billing
    • shared BYOK
    • data privacy controls
    • priority support

  • Enterprise

    Custom/custom

    Governance and support for larger organisations

    • Everything in Teams
    • model and provider limits
    • shared private gateway BYOK
    • audit logs
    • SSO/OIDC/SCIM
    • SLA commitments
    • dedicated support

Our ratings

Scored out of 10 by the Finder Atlas editorial team. Last reviewed October 2026.

DeepSeek
8.8overall
Kilo Code
8.0overall

DeepSeek leads in 1 category and Kilo Code in 0.

  • Reasoning & Logic

    DeepSeek
    8.8
    Kilo Code
    Not rated

  • Coding & Syntax

    DeepSeek
    8.7
    Kilo Code
    Not rated

  • Cost Efficiency

    DeepSeek
    9.6
    Kilo Code
    Not rated

  • Long Context

    DeepSeek
    8.8
    Kilo Code
    Not rated

  • Ease of Use

    DeepSeek leads by 0.2
    DeepSeek
    8.0
    Kilo Code
    7.8

  • Feature Depth

    DeepSeek
    Not rated
    Kilo Code
    8.6

  • Value for Money

    DeepSeek
    Not rated
    Kilo Code
    8.4

  • Performance & Speed

    DeepSeek
    Not rated
    Kilo Code
    7.8

  • Documentation & Support

    DeepSeek
    Not rated
    Kilo Code
    7.6

Scores weigh documented features, plan value, platform coverage, integrations and user feedback. A missing score means we have not rated that area yet.

Pros and cons

DeepSeek

Pros

  • Web chat and mobile apps are free
  • API output costs from $0.60 per 1M tokens (Flash, off-peak), well below most frontier providers
  • Open weights for V4 and earlier models on Hugging Face
  • 1M-token context and 384K max output on both API models
  • API works with both OpenAI and Anthropic SDKs and several coding agents

Cons

  • Peak-hour API rates are double the off-peak rates on weekday mornings UTC
  • deepseek-v4-pro does not support vision input
  • No image generation
  • Data is processed by a company based in China, which some organizations cannot accept

Kilo Code

Pros

  • MIT-licensed and open source, with a public GitHub repository of more than 27,000 stars.
  • Access to 500+ models across 60+ providers with no stated inference markup.
  • Works in VS Code, JetBrains and the terminal, plus cloud agents, Slack and mobile.
  • Supports bring-your-own-key and local models, which avoids lock-in to one provider.
  • Teams plan is $15 per user per month with shared agents and analytics.

Cons

  • Costs are usage-based, so spend is less predictable than a flat subscription.
  • A 5% processing fee applies to credit purchases.
  • Trustpilot reviewers report billing and refund disputes, including an unexpected renewal charge and a declined refund on purchased credits.
  • The desktop app is in beta, and some reviewers cite bugs and rate-limit issues.

Platforms

  • Web
    DeepSeek
    Supported
    Kilo Code
    Supported
  • Windows
    DeepSeek
    Supported
    Kilo Code
    Supported
  • macOS
    DeepSeek
    Supported
    Kilo Code
    Supported
  • iOS
    DeepSeek
    Supported
    Kilo Code
    Supported
  • Android
    DeepSeek
    Supported
    Kilo Code
    Supported
  • API
    DeepSeek
    Supported
    Kilo Code
    Not supported
  • Browser Extension
    DeepSeek
    Not supported
    Kilo Code
    Not supported
  • Linux
    DeepSeek
    Not supported
    Kilo Code
    Supported
  • VS Code Extension
    DeepSeek
    Not supported
    Kilo Code
    Supported
  • JetBrains Plugin
    DeepSeek
    Not supported
    Kilo Code
    Supported
  • CLI
    DeepSeek
    Not supported
    Kilo Code
    Supported
  • Slack App
    DeepSeek
    Not supported
    Kilo Code
    Supported

Integrations

DeepSeek

6 integrations
  • OpenAI SDK
  • Anthropic SDK
  • Claude Code
  • Codex
  • OpenCode
  • Hugging Face

Kilo Code

9 integrations
  • VS Code
  • Cursor
  • Windsurf
  • JetBrains
  • Slack
  • GitHub
  • MCP
  • Ollama
  • LM Studio

Company

  • Company
    DeepSeek
    DeepSeek
    Kilo Code
    Kilo Code, Inc.
  • Founded
    DeepSeek
    2023
    Kilo Code
    2025
  • Headquarters
    DeepSeek
    Hangzhou, China
    Kilo Code
    Not listed
  • Monthly users
    DeepSeek
    Not listed
    Kilo Code
    5M+
  • Listing
    DeepSeek
    Claimed
    Kilo Code
    Claimed

Frequently asked questions

Is DeepSeek better than Kilo Code?

It depends on your workflow. DeepSeek is built for Low-cost API integration. Kilo Code is built for developers who want to choose their own models and providers, pay provider rates without markup, and keep an auditable open-source agent inside their existing IDE.

What are the key feature differences between DeepSeek and Kilo Code?

DeepSeek: Free AI chat app and low-cost API running DeepSeek's open-weights V4 models. Kilo Code: Open-source AI coding agent for VS Code, JetBrains and CLI with 500+ models.

Does DeepSeek or Kilo Code have a free plan?

Yes, both do. DeepSeek is freemium and Kilo Code is freemium, and each has a free plan or trial.

Which is cheaper, DeepSeek or Kilo Code?

Both can be used for free. Paid plans differ in limits and features, so compare the tiers in the pricing table above.